Third Times the Charm
by everlovingdeer
Summary: "Neville, I've dated half of your ex-dormmates."
1. Third Times the Charm

I wasn't the sort of person that liked to wait. Merlin, I didn't have the patience for it and maybe that was because I was the baby of the family; I'd never had to wait for others before. My family usually ended up waiting for _me_.

My lack of patience was something I had always tried to work on and whilst I'd made significant improvements I couldn't help but think that it wasn't enough. I still got annoyed whenever I had to wait any longer than 5 minutes for someone.

And yet here I was; having sat in the Three Broomsticks for over 15 minutes now, feeling very little impatience. Rowena, practically none at all. In any other situation, I would have already headed back to Hogwarts and cancelled my plans. But this was different. The person I was meeting was different. I could never find it in me to get annoyed at Neville.

Not only hadn't I seen him in _months_ but it was extremely difficult to arrange this in the first place. _Neville_ of all people was undergoing Auror training which just happened to take up almost all of his free time. And I couldn't exactly ask him to spend what little free time he _did_ have with me. Even if that _was_ what I felt like asking of him.

"Sorry I'm late," the words had me looking up from where I had been absentmindedly drawing random patterns on the table. My eyes looked over him, taking in the coat he had hurriedly chucked over his clothes and the red of his cheeks which suggested that he'd run here from the nearest apparition point. I couldn't fight the affectionate smile that just the sight of him brought to the surface. "Training ran late – _really_ late but I tried to get out of there as soon as I could and –"

"Breathe," I cut in with a laugh. Neville fell silent with a sheepish smile. "It's fine. I didn't mind waiting."

"Liar," he said as he settled down onto the chair beside me. "I know exactly how much you hate waiting."

"I guess I don't have a problem if the person I'm waiting for, is you?" I shrugged as I ran my finger over the rim of my cup.

Neville coloured at my words, ducking his head slightly as if to make sure that I didn't notice it. I decided against telling him that it was no use; I could see just how red his ears had gone at my words. And because it was so wonderful to see him react like that to me, I didn't stifle my urge to brush away the snow that was still clinging to his hair. Even as he coloured further, Neville grinned and caught my hand. My eyes met his then, watching curiously as he pressed a quick kiss to my palm before releasing it.

It was my turn to avert my eyes as heat rushed to my cheeks. He chuckled quietly, amused by my reaction and I tried to frown. But who was I kidding? I wasn't upset. Rowena, he could tell me devastating news right now and it probably wouldn't dull my mood because I was so pleased with being able to see him face to face after such a long time. Merlin, my dormmates were right; I really was head over heels for the man.

Neville began to speak then, confessing to me about what he had to do for his training. I was certain that what he was telling me was supposed to be strictly confidential but he didn't seem to have a problem with telling me. He claimed that he trusted that I wouldn't tell anyone.

He was probably right; I was too paranoid about the Ministry sending Aurors to burst into my home that I wouldn't say anything to anyone. Listening patiently to Neville, I cast a glance around the room only for my eyes to settle on two of the girls in my year.

There normally would have been no reason for me to focus so much on the girls, had they not been gossiping about me. And I _knew_ that was what they were doing because they weren't even being subtle as they continued to throw glances towards our table. At one point, they even pointed between Neville and me.

And just like that, I knew what they were saying. Merlin, even _before_ I had come down to Hogsmeade to meet Neville, I'd been forced to listen to snide comments from some of the girls in my dorm about how Gryffindors must have been my type. But not just Gryffindors – they hurried to amend – Gryffindors in the year above. Just thinking on those words, and the way they seemed to follow me wherever I went in the castle, had my mood dampening considerably. This time, when I frowned, it was because I meant it.

Merlin, we weren't kids anymore! Just last year we had defended our school against the people that wanted to take away everything good about it, wanted to ruin our home and stood our ground. We had fought a war and yet, not even a year later, and everyone was back to behaving as if we hadn't changed because of it.

Neville must have picked up on my mood because he offered to get me another drink. Forcing myself to brighten up, I thanked him with a grin that eased some of the tension that had appeared on his face. He was sitting easier as he pressed a quick kiss to my temple before heading towards the bar.

The moment his back was turned my smile dimmed. Once again, I found my gaze rooted to the table top. I had no idea why I was stressing about this so much! It wasn't like I had anything to worry about! Neville already knew! He knew that, at one point, I had dated two of his roommates before him. My relationships with Potter and Finnigan hadn't exactly been long or all that meaningful but yet, I couldn't seem to forget it. The entire castle wouldn't let me forget.

* * *

Hogwarts, at Christmas time, was a thing of wonder. Perhaps it was even more glorious because last year none of the students had been in the mood to celebrate it and we certainly hadn't decorated the school for it. But this year, there was no such aversion to the holiday. The Christmas trees appearing in the Great Hall had been enough to spread the holiday fever through the entire school. Rowena knew that it had been enough to instil the Christmas spirit in me. Of course, Luna just _had_ to go and point out that my family _technically_ didn't celebrate Christmas. But I wasn't going to let that dull my mood.

"Mahmud!" the urgent call of my surname had me stopping still in the corridor, looking around in surprise.

The surprise melted off my features as I waved with a smile to Weasley as she hurried towards me. She ducked past a group of boys who had stopped in the middle of the corridor and dropped into step beside me.

"Luna?" I asked, looking around for her blonde counterpart. It was only last year that I had gotten so close to my dormmate's best friend and we had gotten along like a house on fire.

"She said something about returning a library book," Weasley explained with a shrug. "I just thought that you should know that Neville's on campus."

"He is?" Just the thought of seeing him so soon again had me –

"Wipe that smile off your face, it's disgusting" she mock admonished as she nudged me with her shoulder. "He popped in to see Sprout; something about an informal interview because she's retiring soon."

"Professor Longbottom," I said with a disbelieving smile. "Imagine him welcoming students into the greenhouses with that cardigan of his."

"As if you don't _like_ him in cardigans." Weasley sent me a teasing smirk, " I'm sure you'll like him better when he's out of them!"

" _Ginny!_ "

"Sorry, sorry. I won't tease anymore." Adjusting her hold on her books, she said, "Neville asked me to pass on a message; he wants to meet you by your common room once he's finished."

But why did he want to see me? If it was simply because he wanted to meet up with me then he wouldn't have felt the need to pass on the message through Weasley, now would he? What if he had caught wind of what everyone was saying? What was I supposed to do then? It wasn't something that I felt the need to explain – it wasn't something to explain and yet, yet it had become something that people continued to use to ridicule my blooming relationship with Neville. And Merlin, it just wasn't fair! At all!

He wouldn't – he wouldn't want to end what was between us just because of my romantic past, would he? He really wasn't that closed minded. Not Neville. No way.

"What are you stressing about?" Weasley asked suddenly, making me turn towards her. "You're picking at your nail polish like you do whenever you're nervous."

"How did you notice that?" I asked, surprised. Not even my best friends noticed that.

"I didn't. Neville did. He told me to look out for it." Merlin, he was perfect. And if I lost him because of something so stupid then the world really was too unfair. "So, what's working you?"

"Did Neville say anything?" I asked hesitantly, biting my bottom lip. "About any rumours that he might have heard about me?"

She understood instantly. Of course, she did and just shook her head as she asked unnecessarily, "The whole 'third times the charm', thing?"

I could only nod as I waited anxiously for her answer. Not that she knew it but her answer would determine not just my mood for the rest of the day, but potentially the way I approached my entire relationship with Neville.

"I doubt he's heard of it," she assured, reaching out to squeeze my arm reassuringly. "He knows about Harry and Seamus anyway but I doubt he cares. I mean Merlin, they were just crushes you had. Look at us – you used to date my boyfriend but we're friends! Who would be fickle enough to _still_ focus on those things?"

"Hopefully not Neville," I murmured as we prepared to separate and head towards our own common rooms.

Weasley hesitated a little moment longer to assure me that Neville wasn't as stupid as other men his age were before sending me on my way. Just the idea of Neville waiting for me outside of the common room had my steps slowing slightly. What if Ginny was wrong, what if I was wrong and he was here to break up with me? What then? He might not have been so fickle, but no person would be comfortable to have their relationship so talked about. No one wanted that.

Only at the call of my name did I look up, coming out of my thoughts which just darkened with every passing moment. But the second I laid eyes on him, those thoughts disappeared at once. Just seeing him there, waiting with his hands tucked in his trouser pockets, was enough. Quite without realising it, I was smiling as my strides quickened until I was jogging towards him. He grinned at my approaching figure and held his arms wide for me.

I went instantly into them, squeezing my arms around his waist as I held him close. Even when it was time to part from him, I didn't want to do that either. Instead, I stayed close to him and just tilted my head back so I could look into his eyes, resting my chin on his chest. Neville smiled gently down at me, tucking some of my hair behind my ear.

"Merlin, I missed you," he confessed solemnly and my smile widened even further.

"I missed you too," I murmured back. "Now what's this about you seeing Sprout?"

"Maybe the whole Auror thing isn't for me? Sprout is planning on retiring in a few years and wanted to use the time to train me up." Uncertainty flickered through his features before he asked, "What do you think?"

"I think Professor Longbottom has a ring to it."

* * *

When the Christmas holidays arrived I, like most students, welcomed it with open arms. Whilst Hogwarts was my home away from home, it _wasn't_ my real home. Home was a sprawling house filled to the brim with cousins who decided to sleepover at the very last minute. It was having to be coddled and having to coddle.

But, one of the biggest reasons that students welcomed the holidays, was that it meant we didn't have to attend any lessons which, no matter how much you loved to learn, were always the worst part of the day. With the holidays now here, I could spend as much time with my friends as I wanted without having to worry about homework. And well, if I saw my boyfriend every now and again, who could blame me? He _was_ rather perfect.

Neville, it seemed was just as eager to make use of the time that the holidays gave us to spend together. I _may_ have tricked him into spending the day with my friends as we caught up in the coffee shop but that was only because they had insisted that they wanted him to pass the new boyfriend test. Of course, he'd passed – with flying colours at that. And now, I was dating him with all of my friend's blessings. But, the moment I had parted from my friends, Neville had informed me that he planned to return the favour. He'd just decided to call that favour in.

That was why I found myself walking through the freshly fallen snow on my way to the little pub where he said they were meeting. My aversion to the cold was so bad that I had wrapped up well and had even used my scarf – _Neville's really_ – to warm myself and to cover the bottom half of my face. I loved the snow, it was beautiful but it was _far_ too cold.

Once I had managed to find the pub and headed straight inside, I looked around the room for Neville. It would be really awkward if he had yet to arrive. But thankfully, there he was, waiting for me by the doorway and the moment he spied me he was grinning and heading straight towards me. As he came to a stop in front of me, Neville reached out to draw my scarf – _his_ – down from my face. I watched him curiously when he suddenly leaned down to kiss me. My surprise stopped me from responding for a short moment before I was rising up to kiss him _properly_. I was the first to draw back, a little startled – but still appreciative – of the wonders his confidence had done for him.

"Hi," he said quietly as he adjusted the scarf around my neck.

"That was _quite_ a welcome," I teased, satisfied when he began to rub the nape of his neck sheepishly.

"Well I missed you," he defended.

"I wasn't complaining," I assured him, linking my arm through him. "Now, let's get this interrogation over with."

"It won't be an interrogation," he insisted as he led me through the pub, towards a crowded booth at the back. "Definitely nothing like the way your friends interrogated me."

"You passed that with flying colours," I assured him, patting his arm. "You're the standard on which all future boyfriends will be measured."

"Theirs I hope – not yours." I just winked cheekily and he smiled affectionately. "But honestly, you don't need to worry about today. We all just planned to meet up for a drink."

"All?" I repeated cautiously as we walked ever closer towards the booth. My eyes centred on the only bespectacled man at the table and I tried my very best not to turn and run away. He couldn't mean the people I thought he meant, could he?

"At first it was just going to be my dormmates," he explained, removing his arm from mine to let me squeeze through a gap with his hand pressed to the small of my back. "But then we decided that we couldn't leave the girls that were in our year out either."

The confirmation was enough to have my steps slowing as I walked. If Neville noticed it, he didn't react to it and continued to be my silent source of strength towards the table. Rowena, this could _not_ be happening to me!

By the time we reached the booth, all eyes were on us and I just _knew_ from the way half of them were looking at us, that we were letting ourselves in for a teasing. Normally I would have teased them right back, but I just found myself evading two sets of eyes. This was so awkward. But it was a different sort of awkward than most would have assumed.

It wasn't as if I still had feelings for Harry or Seamus – that would be disastrous. Merlin, those feelings had faded _years_ ago but to actually have to interact with them whilst I was with my new boyfriend wasn't something I actively wanted to do. What sort of woman dated 3 friends from a single friendship group? That was the sort of person that got called a friendship wrecker. Even if both relationships had ended amicably, they were still my exes.

As I sat at the booth with Neville on one side and thankfully with Granger on my other, I kept my conversation based around the other girl. If I didn't so much as _look_ past her towards Harry and Seamus then that was just a happy side effect. Honest. It was only when the arm around my shoulder lifted, that I reached out quickly towards Neville to grip his thigh. I _really_ wasn't comfortable with him leaving me alone here.

He put his hand on top of mine, briefly weaving our fingers together, before pressing a kiss to my hand. Leaning in close to me, he lowered his voice as he assured, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Rising to his feet, Neville cleared his throat and the entire booth turned towards him. Surprisingly, a silence fell across the table in one go. With all expectant eyes on him, Neville said something that made almost the entire table begin to cheer.

"I'll get the next round." Once Neville had made a mental note of all the drinks requests, he turned expectantly towards me. But knowing how indecisive I was, he already had a suggestion," Eggnog?"

Seamus cut in before I could protest, "Mahmud hates that stuff."

Neville looked to him just as Seamus winced when Thomas sharply elbowed him in his side. The Irishman turned sharply towards his best friend and the two began to bicker like an old married couple just as I found myself eyeing Neville from the corner of my eye. He hadn't _seemed_ to have a reaction to Seamus's statement but the only way I would actually know is when he said something.

My boyfriend finally averted his eyes back towards me and suggested, "Hot butterbeer? I know you don't drink mulled wine, either."

"Please," I said quietly, watching him hesitantly.

Before he left the booth, Neville's eyes lingered on my face and I wondered whether he could tell just how out of place I felt here with his friends. No doubt I was overreacting about being around _two_ of his dormmates again but he hadn't been the one to have rumours and gossip following him around all day, every day since we had gotten together at the beginning of the school year. Our relationship was still so new, and it made me so happy that I didn't want to risk it so soon.

He ducked down then, a hand to the back of my neck as he leaned down to kiss me. Neville lingered for a long moment, long enough to make me forget about anything _but_ him. As he drew away to the sound of wolf whistles, he pressed another slow kiss to my forehead.

"I'll be back soon," he promised and yet all I could think was that I was so out of my depth.

* * *

Everything was awkward now and it was all my fault. I knew that avoiding Neville and coming up with excuses whenever he wanted to meet up was only damaging our relationship, and yet I couldn't bring myself to stop it. Ever since that stupid reunion where I'd seen him talking quietly to _both_ Harry and Seamus before we left, something in me just felt so much more unsettled. Neville had done nothing wrong – he had been perfect – and that just made me feel guiltier. This was all down to me and my own insecurities. I knew that, but no matter how many times I tried to rationalise it in my head before I knew it I was pushing him away again.

If things had been a little more different then who knows, perhaps I would have been spending my birthday with him as well as my family. As it stood, I found myself surrounded by my _entire_ extended family who had all descended on my home with their usual cheer. Sometimes I marvelled at the sheer number of people that could fit into our home, but I would change it for nothing in the world. Not everyone was blessed with having such a large and wonderful family and surviving the war only made me appreciate that more. Rowena, it was a miracle that we had _all_ managed to survive the war with almost the entirety of my family rallying to protect Hogwarts.

"You're lost in your thoughts again," my grandmother accused from my side as I followed her to the living room. When she looked towards me, I hurried to tuck my hands back to my side – if she saw my hands outstretched as if to catch her when she fell – she would hex me. She proudly stated that she was 92 years young and needed no help. We all knew better than to suggest otherwise. Although, it wasn't often that muggles made it to their 90s and so her children were always hovering around her in concern.

"I'm not thinking about anything," I protested, pushing the living room door open so she could lead her walking frame in.

"You think that just because I'm old, I know nothing," she accused with a laugh as she settled onto the sofa. Patting the space beside her, she gestured for me to sit as the doorbell rang. "Well, I know everything. You're thinking about your young man, aren't you?"

"I'm really not," I tried to deny, voice trailing off when she levelled me a firm look. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"No, and you shouldn't try to." She patted my knee, turning towards me. "So, tell me about your wizard then? Is he still training to become an Auror?"

"He's set on becoming a professor now – at Hogwarts."

"Good!" the force of her answer took me by surprise "Better a professor than belonging to an overrated version of the police."

" _Grandma_."

"What?" she waved her hand dismissively at my incredulity. "I'm allowed to say that. I know what I'm talking about; I married and birthed multiple Aurors, didn't I? A professor is better, you won't spend nights awake worrying over his safety."

I stifled a wan smile as I remembered just how much trouble had happened inside the walls of the castle. Somehow, I didn't think that being a professor, especially one at Hogwarts, was very different from being an Auror. At the sound of my name, I looked to the door where my mother stood and she gestured for me to come out into the hallway. The moment I stood up, my eldest cousin was there to take my place as he tattled about what his husband had done now. I shook my head as I left the room; no doubt he had been the one in the wrong anyway.

"Mum?"

"You've got a guest," she explained without saying anything further before ducking into the kitchen as she began to berate my brother for letting his heavily pregnant wife climb onto the chair to get the plates. The bloody fool had magic whilst his wife didn't – why couldn't he just _accio_ the plates down?

Turning my attention away from my idiotic brother, I headed towards the front door where I assumed my _guest_ was waiting. Once I spied the man by the door, my steps slowed a little as my eyes raked over him in surprise. Rowena, it felt like it had been _years_ since I'd seen him. Neville, at the sound of my approaching steps, stopped his appraisal of my home and turned to face me. He was smiling instantly at the sight of me, silently holding out a bouquet of my favourite flowers. I'd only mentioned them in passing and yet he'd remembered.

"Happy birthday," he said with a gentle smile as I reached out for the flowers.

"Thank you," I said quietly, raising the bouquet to my nose and watching him from over the top. I wasn't sure what to say to him. Well, I _knew_ what I wanted to ask him; how did he know to come here? I certainly hadn't invited him.

"I invited him," my grandmother said from over my shoulder, silently answering the question I had been asking myself.

We both turned to the sound of her voice, watching as she walked slowly into the hallway. My grandmother was smiling at Neville as if she'd always known him despite this being the second time she had ever seen him. And well, the first had been when she'd flood over to Hogwarts to give my grandfather an earful for locking her in their bedroom so she couldn't follow him into battle.

She was quite obviously overjoyed at his appearance and Neville returned her warm smile. My boyfriend peered around me, "Thank you for having me."

I looked between two of the people that I loved the most in this world, feeling more than a little lost. "Um –"

"It's our pleasure," my grandmother assured once she had finally stopped beside us. "Like I was just telling my granddaughter, you're the type of man that should be marrying into our family. Not her grandfather and certainly not her father."

Just as I went to remind her that my father was her _son¸_ Neville held out an arm to help escort her away. My grandmother took it effortlessly and I tried not to protest; if any of us had tried that, she'd have laid into us about treating her like she was frail.

"Now," Neville leaned in conspiratorially, "what do you think it'll take to convince _her_ of that?"

My grandmother was only the first. It really shouldn't have surprised me so much that Neville was effortlessly integrated into the fold of my family. By the time evening had fallen, Neville had been pulled into the living room with all of my older cousins and well since I was the baby of the entire family, there was _a lot_ of people who were set out on intimidating him. Once the cake cutting and present giving had been completed, they had all shared a look. The moment I had seen my brother lure him into the room, I tried to intercede but he had warned me to leave them alone with my boyfriend for 10 minutes.

And so, I stood outside the living room and stared at my watch, counting down an exact 10 minutes. Silently measuring out the last few seconds, I made myself to bide my time before forcing my way into the room. I wasn't sure what I expected to find; a room filled with tension that could be cut with a knife, a screaming match that resulted in Neville or one of my cousins crying in a corner? Whatever I had been expecting, it certainly wasn't what I found. Rowena, they were getting along as if Neville was one of their long-lost friends, laughing and smiling. My entrance had only brought an abrupt silence through the room.

All the occupants of the room – all two dozen of them – looked towards me and I could only point uselessly towards Neville who was sat on the sofa with my brother by his side. Neville rose to his feet and excused himself from the room. Some of my cousins seemed reluctant to let him go and I tried not to scowl; what if he ended up liking them more than me?

When he came to my side, Neville called my name quietly and I just reached out and took his hand. Shutting the door pointedly behind me, I led him by the hand to the only room where I knew we were going to get some privacy from prying eyes and ears. Reaching the safety of my room, I released Neville's hand and shut the door. Propping myself up against it, I watched as he looked around the room with obvious interest. His eyes focused on the stack of letters on the corner of my desk and I flushed; if he actually looked through them then he would realise that they were all from him. Not that he ever would.

"So," I started cautiously, making him look towards me, "what do you think of my family?"

"There's more of them than I anticipated," he admitted honestly and I couldn't help but smile at that.

"Yeah, you were kind of thrown in the deep end today," I mumbled as I made myself look away from him.

But he didn't. Neville continued to watch me and I could feel the weight of his stare on me as I looked around my bedroom as if I had never seen it before. He approached me then, with quick footsteps until he was standing in front of me. Hesitating for a moment, Neville reached out to hold both of my hands and just like that, I was raising my eyes to meet his.

"Did I do something wrong? Something you didn't like?" His brows were furrowed as he searched my eyes, trying to figure out whether or not he had made some sort of slip up. When really, he'd been perfect. "Did I cross some sort of boundary or something?"

"No, no," I assured hurriedly with a shake of my head. "It's nothing like that."

"Good." He released a deep breath as if he had been worrying about it for a while. "If it's not that – then, what is it?"

It was my turn to hesitate. "I –"

"You can trust me," he reminded me softly. Merlin, how was I supposed to tell him that _he_ wasn't the issue? It would just sound so stupid. But I couldn't exactly allow him to go around thinking that he the problem.

"Didn't you feel awkward at the reunion?" Neville stared blankly down at me, clearly not knowing what I was trying to tell him. I sighed and tried to draw my hands away but he held on tight. "Neville, I've dated _half_ of your ex-dormmates."

"Well you don't like them anymore," he pointed out, rolling his eyes. "Right?"

"Of course, I don't."

"Then I _really_ don't see what the problem is here."

"That's because you don't hear what the people in the castle say," I insisted as I tried to turn away from him again but he didn't let me. "When they found out that I was dating you – Merlin, it was all that bullshit about Gryffindors being my type and how I was just steadily making my way through your dorm and –"

"Why does it matter?" he interrupted firmly, making my words dry up. Neville held my gaze as he repeated quietly, "Why does it matter? What matters is that you like me and that I – I love you."

My eyes widened at the admission but Neville didn't retract it. No, he just dropped my hands so that he could cup my face and tilt it towards his own – even if he _was_ flushing all over. I swallowed thickly, watching as he tilted his head down to kiss me and I didn't waste a moment as I readily kissed him back. My hands came up to rest on his arms when he reluctantly drew back to press his forehead to my own.

Smiling up at him, I gently bumped his forehead with mine as I silently admitted that I might just love him too.

* * *

The holiday, as it usually did, passed too quickly and I soon found myself back on Platform 9 and ¾ to head back to Hogwarts. My parents were busy checking to make sure that I had everything – as if I hadn't done this multiple times already – but I let them fuss over me with an indulgent smile. As they worried over whether or not I had packed my wand – I had – my eyes scanned the platform only to widen.

"No way in hell," I murmured incredulously as I took in the sight of Neville escorting my grandmother down the platform. I almost didn't believe my eyes. Merlin, if I didn't know any better then I would almost believe that my _grandmother_ was the one dating Neville.

"What are you looking at?" my father asked, following my gaze and when his eyes settled on his approaching mother, he just shook his head with a smile.

"You know," mother said quietly beside me, her words clearly for my ears only, "you should probably be careful or else your grandmother will have you married to Neville by the year's end."

Believe me, I already knew that.

"There's nothing to worry about," I insisted with a dismissive wave of my hand. "That _definitely_ won't happen."

"I think you're underestimating your grandmother," she said as we turned to greet our family's matriarch who bypassed her son to head straight towards me.

Before I could open my mouth to greet her, she reached out to pinch my ear. I gasped in pain, looking for help towards my parents but it was only Neville who immediately tried to intercede.

"You were planning on leaving without saying goodbye to me," my grandmother accused as she released my ear and I instantly rubbed it to soothe the ache. "What would you have done if I died whilst you were gone?"

"Of course, you wouldn't have died," I insisted, still rubbing my ear as I leaned down to give her a one-armed hug. "Hell, you'll probably outlive me."

"Cheeky brat," she grumbled before turning towards my parents and promptly demanding that they walk her to the nearest chair so she could settle down.

My parents, realising that the nearest chair was outside of the platform, said their final goodbyes to me and left me in Neville's capable hands after pressing twin kisses to the top of my forehead. They took to either side of my grandmother and escorted her off of the platform. I just watched them go with an amused smile. There was no chance that her feet were actually aching like she claimed they were; she was just trying to get me some alone time with Neville and I couldn't have been more thankful for that.

"You've certainly managed to charm my grandmother."

Neville, still standing by my side, watched her go with an amused chuckle before admitting, "She's told me that she wants me to be her grandson by marriage."

"Merlin, that woman," I muttered under my breath, screwing my eyes shut in embarrassment.

"Don't worry," Neville assured me with a grin that had my heart beating just a little faster, "I have no plans on proposing yet."

"Good," I said as a group of seventh-year students brushed past us, quite clearly gossiping about us under their breath.

It should have made me want to shrink back from Neville's side. I mean, that _was_ what I would have done just a few short weeks ago. But it didn't. Something had changed and now I didn't give a fuck about what those people were saying or thinking about the pair of us. Who even were they to think they could talk about us?

Perhaps my change hadn't been so obvious to Neville who, upon spying those people, took my hand to usher me inside the train. I held back firmly, stopping him and making him look at me in surprise.

"It's fine. I don't mind it anymore," I insisted and when he looked at me as if he didn't believe me, I grinned teasingly. "I can even prove it to you, Longbottom."

"Oh yeah?" he questioned, recognising my tone of voice and no doubt believing I wasn't capable of following through, "Prove it, Mahmud."

And well, I might not have been a Gryffindor but that didn't mean I was a coward. I stepped towards him then and kissed him _soundly_ right in the middle of the platform, regardless of the murmurs that surrounded us. When I drew back from him, I was greeted by his very flustered expression and struggled not to laugh when he chuckled nervously.

Clearing his throat, he drew away from me to charm my trunk to follow along as he led me onto the train, now for a very different reason. The moment we stepped onto the train, his blush had started to recede down his neck as he calmed down and escorted me by the hand. Neville looked through each compartment before finding the one with my friends inside.

He knocked on the window to alert them of our arrival before opening the door and helping me settle in. And whilst I might not have been blushing earlier, I still found myself flushing under the suggestive stares my friends were throwing me as Neville lifted my trunk into the overhead storage. Once he was finished, I cleared my throat before he turned towards me.

"Have fun at Hogwarts and I'll be here to pick you up for Easter," he promised, pressing a kiss to my forehead before whispering quietly, "I might come to meet Sprout just so I can see you every now and again."

"I'd like that," I assured him quietly with a smile that he returned before reluctantly drawing away at the sound of the warning whistle.

"I should go," he murmured starting for the door. But he tarried a moment in the doorway and asked of my friends, "Look after her for me."

Only after they assured him that they would, did Neville set off to walk out of the train. I hurried towards the corridor, staring down it to watch Neville as he walked towards the nearest exit.

"How did you get so lucky, you cow?" Aliki asked.

"Luck had nothing to do with it," I assured her as Neville grew smaller and smaller the further he walked away from me. "I just had to date the wrong Gryffindors twice before I found the right one."


	2. Epilogue: 1 Year Later

_1 YEAR LATER_

Neville quickly became a regular fixture in our family events. Merlin, I almost felt a little sorry for him because he was being continually dragged to dozens of these events after receiving, usually multiple, invitations. But really, I wasn't going to feel sorry for the man when he said that was glad to be seen as part of my family. One of these days – and it would be soon – he was going to regret saying that. Maybe it would even be today?

Neville had personally received an invitation to my grandmother's birthday party from the leading lady herself. And well, how could he possibly say no to her? If you asked me, he _could_ have said no but he didn't say it because he was too polite. Or maybe he really did actually want to come along?

Either way, I had walked into my grandparent's home with Neville at my side. Ducking in through the back door, I pulled Neville in after me as I headed to the sound of my grandmother's voice. From the sound of things, the guest of honour was busy shouting at my eldest cousin because he was being an arse. But what else was new?

The moment my grandmother spied Neville, her shouts abruptly died down and she was all smiles. Giving up her berating, she chose to instead shower my boyfriend with her attention and I easily relinquished him to her care. There was no way I was going to get _any_ time with my boyfriend until she had selfishly hogged his attention for a good while.

Popping a quick kiss to Neville's cheek, I walked away from him and headed to my sister-in-law who was jugging plates of burger buns and chicken wings in her hands. Hurrying to help her, I took some off her hands and carried them to one of the garden tables that were being filled for the barbecue. Beside me, my cousin grumbled from about how his mother shot down his recipe for the burgers in favour of her tried and tested one. I just rolled my eyes, knowing better than to humour him as I looked towards Neville where he was still sitting with my grandmother, talking quietly with her.

That was until he was dragged up to help man one of the grills. And, as I continued to watch him interact with various members of my family, I remembered the number of times he'd told me about how envious he was about just how many people I had grown up around.

It was no secret that Neville only had his grandmother in his life. And Merlin, I couldn't even imagine not having this hustle and bustle around as part of my life. My aunts and uncles, my grandparents, my cousins and their children – my soon to be niece or nephew, I couldn't imagine ever being without them. They were just as big a part of my life as my immediate family was. So maybe it really wasn't so shocking that he loved being around my family so much.

"You do realise that he's a keeper, don't you?" my grandmother piped up suddenly and I briefly wondered just when she had hobbled to my side.

"Actually, he doesn't play Quidditch," I evaded as I turned my eyes away from Neville and continued to set up the tables.

"You're asking to be told off again," she warned as she settled into one of the chairs and watched as I worked. "You know, they say that women can propose during the leap year."

"Women can propose whenever," I corrected, looking to her for a moment and quickly looking away when she raised an eyebrow. My mouth was quickly going to get me in trouble. Clearing my throat, I grumbled, "Besides, isn't it actually that women are supposedly allowed to propose on every leap _day_ and February 29th has long since passed. It's _summer_ now."

"That's what the muggles say."

"And _you_ are a muggle."

"But you're not."

I sighed, giving up when I realised that I wouldn't be able to just get away from this. Turning towards my grandmother, I reluctantly sat down in the chair beside her own. Reaching out to take her hand in mine and held it tight.

"I'm still young," I tried to placate, lowering my voice before one of my cousins overheard and laid into Neville about marrying me – regardless of how liked he was.

"Well no one said you need to marry _now,"_ she shot back insistently and I tried not to sigh. "You can drag out the engagement for years if you have to. I just want one of my grandchildren to be married to a good man."

"You used to like Daniel!"

"Well, he supports the wrong quidditch team!"

"Rowena's sake," I grumbled. I swear, she got more childish as she aged. "You don't like their husbands because they support the _wrong quidditch team_?!"

"Speaking of Quidditch teams," she said suddenly, looking in Neville's direction. She hummed contemplatively before calling out to him. Somehow, over all of the shouting of my grandmother's grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Neville heard and relinquished his tongs to my father before jogging directly towards us. Once he stopped in front of us, he looked to me for an explanation and I just shrugged helplessly. "Longbottom, what quidditch team do you support?"

 _Merlin's bloody beard!_ She was unbelievable.

"The Harpies," he said instantly.

My grandmother continued to watch him for a moment longer before she gestured towards me. "You can have her."

"Grandma!" I called out aghast as Neville just chuckled and headed back to the grill when it looked like my father was going to set the entire grill aflame. Only when Neville was out of earshot, did I turn towards her. "What on earth are you doing?"

"You need to lock him down!" she insisted and I refused to listen to her.

Even if I _did_ end up proposing to him the next leap year. And I did, as a throwaway question really, that I'd asked over breakfast. Only to be even more surprised when Neville had began to search through his coat and stumbled to his feet before crashing to his knees before me. He'd winced just a little. When Neville _did_ present me with the box, I stared at it in wide-eyed silence before nodding my enthusiastic consent.


End file.
